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CONFLICT MONITORING TRAINING
Training Guide in Conflict Analysis, Monitoring and Reporting
Disclaimer This publication was produced for review by the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Supporting Access to Justice, Fostering Equity & Peace (SAFE) Program. The author’s views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
This Training Manual was designed for the USAID SAFE Program by Charline Burton, [email protected], Institutional Learning Team, Search for Common Ground; Juliana Amal-Obonyo, [email protected], Conflict Prevention and Reconciliation Advisor-SAFE Program; and Alex-Okello Ouma, [email protected], Conflict Assistant SAFE Program.
June 2013 This Publication May Not Be Reprinted or Reproduced in Whole or in Part without the Express Written Permission of the Authors
2 CONTENTS
PART 1: GETTING TO KNOW THE SAFE PROGRAM ..................................................... 3 OVERVIEW OF THE SAFE PROGRAM ............................................................................................. 3
SAFE’s Thematic Component Areas .............................................................................................. 3 How the SAFE Program Fits into GOU’s Priorities ....................................................................... 4
THE MONTHLY CONFLICT ASSESSMENTS ................................................................................... 4 Objectives ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Type of information sought ............................................................................................................ 4 An evolving System ......................................................................................................................... 5 Geographical Coverage of the System ........................................................................................... 5 Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 5 Information Sharing ......................................................................................................................... 5 Monthly Conflict Assessment Report Template ............................................................................... 6
COMMUNITY CONFLICT REPORTERS AND CONFLICT MONITORS ...................................... 7 Who are they? ................................................................................................................................ 7
SAFE’S INITIAL CONFLICT ASSESSMENT ....................................................................................... 8 Summary of Key Findings. ............................................................................................................... 8
PART 2: UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT ............................................................................ 9 DEFINING CONFLICT .................................................................................................................... 10
A. The Nature of Conflict ............................................................................................................ 10 C. Conflict versus Violence .......................................................................................................... 13 D. How Do We Deal With Conflicts? ......................................................................................... 13
CONFLICT ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................... 16 A. Position vs. Interest ............................................................................................................ 17 B. The Conflict Cassava ................................................................................................................ 19
PART 3: REPORTING INCIDENTS TO THE SAFE PROGRAM ..................................... 21 CULTURAL SENSITIVITY & PERCEPTIONS .................................................................................. 22 Follow up questions: ......................................................................................................................... 24 REPORTING INCIDENCES OF CONFLICT TO SAFE .................................................................. 25
A. What to Report On ................................................................................................................. 25 B. When to Report ....................................................................................................................... 26 C. How to Report......................................................................................................................... 30
KEY ELEMENTS/ PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICT REPORTING ........................................................ 30 SAFETY MEASURES WHEN COLLECTING INFORMATION AND REPORTING ...................... 34
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 34 Key Concepts: Risk, Threats, Vulnerability, Capacities ................................................................ 34 Communication and Security ........................................................................................................ 35 Some Extra Key Questions to Consider ...................................................................................... 37
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN MONTHLY CONFLICT ASSESSMENTS ............................... 38 A. Local Community Involvement .......................................................................................... 38 B. Local Government (and leaders’) Involvement in Monthly Conflict Assessments ............ 39
ACTION PLANS FOR SUCCESSFUL MONTHLY CONFLICT ASSESSMENTS ............................ 40 1. District Action Plans ................................................................................................................. 40 2. Sub County Joint Action Plans ............................................................................................... 41
RESIGNING YOUR ROLE ............................................................................................................... 41 AS A COMMUNITY CONFLICT REPORTER ................................................................................ 41 AS A CONFLICT MONITOR .......................................................................................................... 41
SOURCES AND FURTHER READINGS ............................................................................. 42 ANNEX 1: CONFLICT MONITOR EXIT INTERVIEW FORM ...................................................... 43 ANNEX 2: CONFLICT MONITOR INFORMATION SUMMARY SHEET .................................... 45
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ANNEX 3: CONFLICT MONITORS MONTHLY IDEA SHEET .................................................... 48
PART 1: GETTING TO KNOW THE SAFE PROGRAM
OVERVIEW OF THE SAFE PROGRAM USAID Supporting Access to Justice, Fostering Equity and Peace (SAFE) is a five-year (2012-2017) Program whose overall goal is to strengthen peace building and conflict mitigation in Uganda. The program reinforces both the Ugandan and United States Governments’ commitment to a shared vision of democracy and good governance through peace and stability. The SAFE program is implemented by the National Centre for State Courts (NCSC), in partnership with Global Rights (GR) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) It strives to enhance the capacity of local actors while strengthening the mechanisms for resolving and mitigating conflicts related to land, the discovery of oil, and cultural and ethnic diversity; addressing the residual effects of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict in northern Uganda; and transforming the emerging conflicts into peaceful outcomes while promoting reconciliation.
SAFE’s Thematic Component Areas SAFE aims to attain its goal through two component areas. Component I: Access to Justice: This Component focuses on improving the management of land related disputes, and creating awareness of land tenure and administration system. This is because land is a key trigger of conflicts. Mitigating conflicts related to land will involve strengthening the capacity of formal institutions responsible for the management, administration and enforcement of land rights, and resolution of land disputes. It will also improve linkages between formal and informal rights and institutions, and through technical assistance and training, increase the capacity of civil society to facilitate access to justice and legal services, disseminate information and educate the public, monitor local government and traditional structures. Under this Component, the program has 20 target districts: Amuru, Arua, Buliisa, Gulu, Hoima, Jinja, Kibaale, Kiboga, Lira, Masaka, Masindi, Mbale, Mbarara, Mityana, Moroto, Mukono, Nebbi, Tororo, Soroti and Wakiso Component II: Peace and Reconciliation: The focus of this Component is to prevent and transform emerging conflicts by working with existing networks within the civil society, and local government to promote peace and
Above: Map of Uganda above showing all districts. Source: http://www.ugandapicks.com/2010/11/latest-map-of-uganda-with-all-the-newdistricts.html
4 reconciliation, foster social inclusion, and address the root causes of conflict. Key activities will combine high impact technical assistance and training with quick response local grants to address emerging conflict. Whereas there is also a primary focus on the twenty initial districts, SAFE has a a degree of flexibility under this Component to respond to conflicts in other parts of Uganda
How the SAFE Program Fits into GOU’s Priorities By strengthening Uganda’s institutional capacity for conflict prevention, resolution of disputes, and promoting peace gains in northern Uganda, SAFE shares a common approach with a range of Uganda’s immediate political, economic, and social reforms. Notably, from 2010-2015, Uganda’s National Development Plan (NDP) has among other things prioritized Justice, Law and Order for its stability, and as a precondition for growth and socio-economic development. The Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) thus, is pursuing a vision of “Justice for All”, in order to promote the rule of law and due process; foster a human rights culture; enhance access to justice for all, especially the poor and the marginalized; reduce the incidence of crime; enhance JLOS contribution to economic development; and build institutional capacity to enhance service delivery. Although Component I of the SAFE Program explicitly focuses on land management, and administration, it addresses similar objectives as the NDP, and reinforces the mandate of JLOS in pursuing justice for all citizens Component II of the SAFE Program is consitent with key GoU frameworks that aim to restructure and rebuild societies and institutions that are suffering the impact of conflict. Notable are the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP) for northern Uganda whose fourth Strategic Objective (SO) is to build peace and promote reconciliation, the Karamoja Livelihood Improvement Program (KALIP), which is also in line with USAID Uganda’s special objective 1 in Karamoja, and the Luwero Rwenzori Development Program (LRDP).
THE MONTHLY CONFLICT ASSESSMENTS Introduction SAFE conducts monthly conflict assessments that provide insight into conflict patterns and trends in Uganda. The Program’s initial source of information to orientate its early strategy lies in two documents: the Initial countrywide conflict assessment, which is a detailed narrative document which gives an overview of Uganda’s conflict background and current situation per region, including the main triggers and trends and; the baseline assessment report which captures quantitative and qualitative information in twenty districts.1 Information gathered through monthly conflict assessments will constantly inform the Program of its new strategic geographic and programmatic direction.
Objectives The conflict assessments serve as a diagnostic tool to:
1. Analyze conflict trends and implement interventions to mitigate its effects; 2. Serve as a resource for civil society and government to support the design and
implementation of their conflict mitigation programs; and 3. Strengthen Ugandan systems for conflict monitoring, prevention and transformation
Type of information sought The conflict assessment system helps the SAFE Program to collect data on:
1 The twenty districts from which SAFE collected quantitative and qualitative baseline information are: Lira; Gulu; Amuru; Arua; Nebbi; Kibaale; Buliisa; Soroti; Moroto; Tororo; Mukono; Wakiso; Jinja; Mbale; Hoima; Kiboga; Masindi; Mbarara; Mityana; and Masaka.
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• The violent conflicts and incidents. In addition, the data-collection system will focus on medium or large-scale conflicts involving at least 5 people (this number will be evaluated towards the end of the pilot period and adapted as will be determined during the final revision of the system);
• Their drivers and triggers; • The actors and their interests; • Any current or planned response by government, SAFE or other CSOs; • The consequences and casualties; and • The risks of escalation, de-escalation and stalemate
SAFE uses the conflict information above to explore possible programmatic response.
An evolving System Consultations with various Ugandan peace actors during the initial stages of developing this system suggested that, no similar conflict data-collection system is presently being implemented on a nation-wide scale in Uganda. This gave SAFE the chance to innovate. Innovation means testing, drawing lessons, redesigning and retesting again before the system is validated and expanded to most of the country. The system evolved through a nine month pilot phase which lasted from August 2013-April 2014 before SAFE rolled out to other districts of Uganda. Following the test phase, SAFE invited up to forty-two (42) conflict experts from government and civil society institutions from different parts of the country to revise the methodology based on lessons and experiences from the test phase.
Geographical Coverage of the System Although the goal is to have a system that will monitor conflict trends and patterns countrywide. SAFE started an initial five districts for the pilot phase. These districts were: Amuru, Gulu, Lira, Kibaale, and Moroto. The pilot districts were chosen from among the most conflict prone districts, based on the findings and recommendations of the initial conflict assessment, and the baseline assessment. SAFE is now rolling out the monthly conflict assessment on a sub-regional basis. Information gathered on a monthly basis provide early warning information and a projection for the entire country. Depending on the type, severity of conflict, and likelihood of violence, SAFE responds through its partners.
Methodology SAFE uses qualitative and quantitative data collection methods to carry out the monthly conflict assessments. Qualitative data is comprised of, among other things, secondary information on the nature, drivers, triggers, actors, consequences, responses and risks associated with conflicts. Quantitative data includes ongoing collection of active conflicts and incidents that carry the potential for increasing or decreasing stability in Uganda. Data is analyzed and the results presented in text, graphs, tables, or other formats as appropriate. Quantitative and qualitative data is collected through:
‐ Desk reviews of secondary information and reports published by relevant partners, media, and government institutions; and
‐ Participatory SMS-based data collection system that work with a network of Conflict Monitors and Community Conflict Reporters (CCR) located all over the country
Information Sharing During the pilot phase, SAFE shared conflict information with the various peace and conflict actors in Uganda. These actors were determined by, among other factors:
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• capacity to respond and immediately calm down the situation and avoid human casualties; • capacity for medium and long term response to address the root causes of conflict; • capacity to influence peace and conflict policy formulation; and • Their reception to generating conflict data for SAFE.
The SAFE Conflict Prevention and Reconciliation Advisor tracked the progress of the information sharing process (Who in partnering organizations is sharing information with SAFE, and how the information is being received) and the response from each organization with whom information wasshared.
Monthly Conflict Assessment Report Template Uganda: Conflict Assessment Report, MM/YY I. National Overview This section provides a summary of the report, including a graph showing the evolution in total number of incidents reported per category (red, orange, and yellow, green). 2. Regional Overview:
• Northern Region: Comprised of Acholi, Lango Karamoja and West Nile Sub-regions
• Central Region: Comprised of Buganda Sub region • Western region: Comprised of Ankole, Tooro, Kigezi, and Bunyoro Sub-
regions • Eastern Region: Comprised of Teso, Busoga, Bukedi, Sebei and Bugisu
sub-regions
Nature of conflicts: Each regional update identifes the main conflicts, casualties, actors, drivers, triggers, and consequences. Thanks to our data-collection methodology, we provide a mix of qualitative and quantitative information illustrating the main trends of conflicts. Tables and graphs are used to underscore the most outstanding quantitative information. Response: For each region, the report presents the (absence or presence of) response to the main incidents, including information about conclusive actions. A “Best Practice” section is presented in each tri-annual report. Projections / Trends: For each red and orange conflict, SAFE creates projections of the conflict evolution for the weeks and months to come. 3. Recommended Response With regards to the projections and trends analysis of reported conflicts, SAFE provides recommendations aimed at providing short term remedies to the main red and orange conflict scenarios for conflict(s) within that month, as well as longer-term response strategies to address their root causes 4. SAFE Response The monthly and tri-annual reports give details of the outcome of the conflict assessment in the “SAFE Proposed Response” section. In this section, details of a mix of short, medium, and long-term strategies and action that SAFE is currently undertaking are discussed. Given that a large part of conflicts won’t possibly be addressed by SAFE grants, or that the SAFE grants might not be able to address the root cause of conflicts (for example, conflicts resulting from discriminatory laws), the report provides recommendations to various other stakeholders.
Map of Uganda showing conflict hotspots for the
reported month
Graph showing the most
outstanding conflict trigger
7 Once the conflict assessment report for a particular month is ready, SAFE shares it with among others:
• USAID and its implementing partners; • Local partner CSOs and academic/research institutions; • Government of Uganda institutions; • Members of Parliament and relevant parliamentary committees; • Selected media institutions; and • SAFE Program grantees.
Reports are published on the SAFE and Search for Common Ground websites for online access Past reports are now available at: www.safeprogram.ug
COMMUNITY CONFLICT REPORTERS AND CONFLICT MONITORS
Who are they? Community Conflict Reporters (CCRs) & Conflict Monitors (CMs) As explained previously, SAFE’s conflict monitoring system relies on two main sources of information:
• A desk review of information and reports published by relevant partners, media, and government institutions on the one hand;
• Information gathered by Conflict Monitors and Community Conflict Reporters on the other hand.
Because we intend to create a system that is sustainable, SAFE draws on the existing networks and capacities amongst the CSOs and local governments. Indeed, a lesson learned from previous similar experience is that creating new networks for a sole program purpose is not likely to be sustainable once the Program (and its funding) is over. This is also the main reason for SAFE to request the monitors and reporters to work on a voluntary basis. For this reason, SAFE relies on key people who already have strong links with local leaders and key official or civil society actors and who are already gathering useful information from their daily activities. Because this is already part of their routine, SAFE’s Conflict Monitors and Community Conflict Reporters should not find their involvement with conflict reporting for the SAFE Program as a burden or an extra-job. In addition, given the very sensitive nature of the task, and the negative consequence of bias when reporting on conflicts, it is also critical that SAFE CCRs and CMs be recognized by their peers and community members as being peace mentors and non conflictual. With this in mind, SAFE has set up the following criteria for the identification of Community Conflict Reporters: • Should be from the local community and command respect • Should be linked to a network in order to maximize his/her capacity to collect and verify data • Be willing to work on a voluntary basis (no payment) • Have basic literacy and ability to use text messages, be able to verify information when called
upon by the SAFE Program • Be recognized by their peers as peace mentors and non-controversial. • Should have respect for cultural beliefs and be sensitive to issues within their environment
8 Conflict Monitors They play the same role as CCRs, and also have the same qualities. The only difference is that Conflict Monitors are few in number. For every sub region, SAFE will choose between 5-10 Conflict Monitors. They will be picked from among CCRs, and given further training and capacity building in conflict management and reporting. Conflict Monitors become key resource persons and Trainer of Trainers for that sub region. For a CCR to become a Conflict Monitor, they should:
• Have demonstrated interest in conflict reporting • Actively report conflict incidents in their sub region, and share any ideas for improvement
with SAFE • Be impartial • Be willing to become a TOT, and be available whenever needed to help • Be willing to verify or follow up incidents upon notification by SAFE
SAFE’S INITIAL CONFLICT ASSESSMENT Conflict Assessments are essential for effective implementation and roll out of activities under the SAFE Program, particularly under the peace and reconciliation Component. In line with this, the SAFE Program conducted an initial conflict assessment between September 2012 and February 2013 on conflict patterns, trends, drivers and triggers in Uganda. This assessment provided a basis for selecting the five pilot districts. Reports from CSOs and government departments, newspapers, and academic research findings were the main sources of secondary literature reviewed. Consultative meetings with conflict experts and professionals within government and civil society were also conducted to complement the assessment.
Summary of Key Findings. • There is no institution in Uganda currently carrying out periodic conflict monitoring and
reporting in Uganda; • There are two main conflict drivers across Uganda: perceptions of marginalization and
ethnic/tribal differences. These drivers, combined with historical grievances, weak laws, and divisive politics, often translate into violence.
• There are crosscutting perceptions of marginalization held by various ethnic groups across all regions. However, within regions, there is also inter-ethnic and tribal hatred based on perceptions of marginalization by successive post-independence governments;
• Land disputes are the top conflict triggers across all regions. Historical grievances, inefficient land management, and ineffective administration of land cases combined with a complicated land tenure system underpin this.
• Other conflict triggers are: Politics and bad governance; Poverty and increasing costs of living; Population displacement and forced migration; Natural catastrophes and climate change; and The recent discovery and exploitation of oil, gas, and other natural resources in the Albertine, Acholi, and other sub-regions.
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PART 2: UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT
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DEFINING CONFLICT
A. The Nature of Conflict
Conflict’s 3 “N”s To understand the nature of conflict, we can characterize it with the "3N"
‐ Conflicts are a NATURAL phenomenon: the differences that come from the NATURE may already have sources of conflict. The world is characterized by diversity: we all have different sizes, races, ethnicities, tribes, languages. Given this natural diversity, conflicts also arise naturally.
‐ Conflicts are a NORMAL phenomenon: Following the diversity of the world, mentioned above, it is normal that some ambitions, desires, needs and dreams of different people in the world are incompatible. For example, country A has very large amounts of natural resources (gold, forests, and diamonds), while country B has almost no resource: the diversity between the two countries is a natural phenomenon. This nature can normally lead to conflicts whenever in country B, a great need for resources in gold, diamond or forest should arise.
‐ Conflicts are a NEUTRAL phenomenon: that is, they are neither negative nor positive. This is our way of managing conflicts that determines whether they will lead to a positive or negative result. Example: The fire is burning but also helps cook food
CONFLICT
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“Conflict”:
A large range of definitions Compact Oxford English Dictionary defines conflict:
“As a serious disagreement or argument or a prolonged armed struggle or an incompatibility between opinions, principles. Conflicts take place at various levels in society. These could be among individual, within a family, among families or groups that come together for various common interests”.
Summary of the some of the selected web-based definitions of conflict: • An open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals);
• Opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings;
• Battle: a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war;
• A state of opposition between persons or ideas or interests;
• Go against, as of rules and laws;
• Dispute: a disagreement or argument about something important;
• Conflict is a state of discord caused by the actual or perceived opposition of needs; values and interests. A conflict can be internal (within oneself) or external (between two or more individuals).
• A clash or disagreement, often violent, between two opposing groups or individuals; An incompatibility of two things that cannot be simultaneously fulfilled; To be at odds (with); to disagree or be incompatible;
• A struggle between opposing forces. An internal conflict occurs within the mind of the character, who is torn between opposing feelings or goals. An external conflict exists when a character struggles against an outside force.
• Is a state of opposition, disagreement or incompatibility between two or more people or groups of people, which is sometimes characterized by physical violence. ...
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B. Stages of Conflict
Stages of Conflicts All conflicts have these stages. The duration in each stage might differ from one conflict to another. Conflict,
like fire, goes through a number of stages that have particular elements that make it unique.
1) Gathering materials = Potential conflict: In the early stage, materials for the fire are collected. Some of these materials are drier than others, but there is no fire yet. However, there is movement towards fire and the materials are readily available. During this stage of conflict, which is sometimes referred to as latent conflict (Curle, 1971), people usually experience structural violence (Galtung, 1969). Structural violence refers to situations of injustice where people are not allowed to experience their rights and responsibilities equally. People are treated unequally within social structures, systems and institutions, and the disparities are unbearable. 2) Fire begins burning = Confrontation: In the second stage, a match is lit and the fire begins to burn. Usually a confrontation between parties, like a large public demonstration, serves as the match and quickly ignites the dry, waiting materials. Confrontation usually means that the covert or structural forms of violence are being rejected publicly. 3) Bonfire = Crisis: During the third stage, the fire burns as far and fast as it can, burning wildly out of control. In this stage, the conflict reaches a crisis and, just like the fire, conflict consumes the materials fuelling it. When conflicts get “hot,” those involved in them often resort to overt violence in order to win – although usually, both sides end up losing something. Overt violence refers to actions that people purposefully do to harm, maim or kill others. 4) Coals = Potential conflict: At some point, the fire abates, the flames largely vanish and just the coals continue to glow as most of the fuel is burnt up. At this stage, conflicts can either continue to burn themselves out or, if new fuel is added, can re-ignite. Overt violence usually cycles through periods of increased fighting and relative calm. If peace accords are signed, then the violence usually decreases, at least temporarily. However, if the causes of structural violence and injustices are not addressed then overt violence often increases again. 5) Fire out = Regeneration: In the fifth stage, the fire is finally out and even the embers are cool. At this stage, it is time to focus on other things besides the fire, and to rebuild and help regenerate what was lost. If the injustices of structures and systems are adequately addressed, there will be space for reconciliation, regeneration and renewal.
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C. Conflict versus Violence Most people recently coming from an experience of violent conflict see conflict and violence as the same thing. This is not true. Violence and Conflict are two different things. The objective of this session is to inspire trainees to move away from this type of thinking and to understand that violence is only a single, unproductive way of resolving conflict.
D. How Do We Deal With Conflicts? We’ve seen that violence is only one of the ways of dealing with a conflict. There are many other ways of acting or reacting to conflict:
1. Forcing 2. Avoiding 3. Accommodating 4. Compromising 5. Collaborating
1
3
4
5
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How do we deal with conflicts?
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EXERCISE 1: How to deal with Conflict 1. A: You overslept today and did not have time to iron your clothes as normal. Your shoes are not polished. This is generally not an issue for you and you are almost always spotless. Your boss at work seems to be in a bad mood and yells at you for your shoddy appearance this morning. And tells you to go polish your shoes.
2. B: You walk past a man on the street who is hitting a woman repeatedly. You ask him to stop and try to reason with him but he continues the abuse and appears to really be hurting her.
3. C: The youth of two neighboring villages are becoming increasingly problematic. It is becoming a major issue for both communities as two rival gangs have developed. They are defacing public property and even threatening the families of people from the rival group. You are not sure of who is leading the gangs but both villages are very concerned with the issue and ready to help to resolve it.
4. D: Your friend is on leave and has been drinking beer all day long. Someone tells you that he is very angry with you because you are trying to “get his woman” and he wants you to come fight him. You know that there is no logic behind his comment and that tomorrow you will be able to discuss the matter calmly.
E: The governor is coming to visit your municipality’s CSOs in one hour. The Platform of CSOs of two neighboring villages are discussing the reception ceremony and break into a shouting match over how many seats each of their respective villages should be offered at the head table. Time is short and you need things to be resolved by the time the governor arrives.
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CONFLICT ANALYSIS A good conflict analysis is needed to understand the history of the situation and current events, but also to identify the various groups involved: not just the most visible but also hidden actors. In addition, the analysis helps to understand perspectives of all groups and better understand how they interact. Finally, a comprehensive study of the conflict has the potential to identify the factors and trends that underlie the conflict. Many conflict analysis tools and templates have been developed over time to allow a systematic analysis of conflict. Amongst others, the following tools exist: ‐ The conflict tree / cassava ‐ Actors’ cartography ‐ The conflict onion ‐ The conflict line ‐ Etc.
These tools do not meet a particular order and can be used independently of one another or in combination. These tools can be used to help groups to develop a common understanding about a particular situation. When the group is composed of two sides of the conflict, these tools provide a way for each party to understand and respect the perspective of the other, while deepening its own analysis in relation to the conflict. During this training, we’ll focus on:
‐ The difference between position and interests ‐ The conflict cassava
Some of the challenges, which are likely to compromise the ability of Conflict Monitors to report accurately and impartially include: 1. Authentic information versus un-authentic information 2. Personal safety and threats during reporting 3. Lack of training and appropriate capacity for conflict reporting But Conflict Monitors can easily overcome many of these challenges when they are able to analyze a conflict and look through what is being presented by the conflicting parties. Once they are able to understand the implicit and explicit causes and actors involved in a conflict, they make positive contribution to raising demands for peace. A conflict analysis will prove to be very helpful to try to find objective reasons for a conflict, which also become common grounds between conflicting parties to move towards taking steps to reduce hostilities and negotiate a peaceful settlement of disputes.
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A. Position vs. Interest EXERCISE 2: Conflict Analysis
Role 1: Dr. Golola – Moroto • You are the president of a big medicine company called Nakawa Pharmaceuticals • Recently, there has been an outbreak of a rare disease called jesephelitis which affects
only children under 8 years old. This disease has already killed 500 kids and, if left untreated, will kill up to 15,000 more children in Moroto District
• You have the cure to the disease and can put a stop to it. • You need the juice of 1500 of these special oranges called Ugli Oranges. • Your Board of Directors authorized you to spend up to USHS 1,000,000 for the
oranges, but encourages you to spend less • The Ugli oranges grow only in Masindi. Sadly, this year there was a drought and only
one farmer was able to grow some of the oranges. • You must negotiate so you can make the medicine and you MUST succeed. More
than 15,000 children will die if you fail.
Role 2: Dr. Kiwi – Kibaale • You are the head of a medicine company called Himalaya Pharmaceuticals, based
in Kibaale. • Recently, there has been a terrible environmental disaster. There was a leak of
poisonous chemicals into the water system in neighboring Hoima. The chemical is particularly poisonous to pregnant women and causes them to die. Already, 237 women have died. Doctors think that, if not controlled, every pregnant woman will die eventually.
• You have a cure for the illness and can stop it. • You need the skins of 1000 of these special oranges called Ugli Oranges. • Your Board of Directors has authorized you to spend USHS 1,000,000 for the
oranges, but you are strongly encouraged to spend less. • The Ugli oranges grow only in Masindi and as you went to buy them, you found
out that only one farmer had any left from this year. • You must negotiate so that you can make the medicine and you MUST succeed
or many thousands of pregnant women will die.
Role 3: Simon Odele – Amuru • You are the only farmer in Amuru who was able to yield crops of Ugli Oranges • You have only 1600 of these oranges available for sale. • You have two possible buyers and must enter into a negotiation with them. • If you are smart, you will get as much money as possible from this situation.
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1. Act out the role play in the exercise. 2. Drawing out from the role play, there is a distinction between position and
interests. 3. What examples of conflicts from your communities do you have that involved
positions and interests? 4. Who were involved in the conflict? Who were actors? 5. What were the positions and interests of the conflicting parties? Some Questions for Discussions:
Why was it difficult to find a solution? What were the positions of the three parties? Where were their interests? What is the difference between position and interest? Does language or tone change what is position and what is interest? How can you go from position to interests? What instruments can you use to
move from position to interests? What question enables you to reach interest from positions?
Debrief Notes: A position is often where people first focus their attention in a conflict. A position is a statement or action taken to support a claim, or a point of view. It can be a belief about how to get or defend what one side thinks it needs. People can cling to a position, or change their position as they seek new ways to advance their claim. An interest represents a more fundamental need, and is the real reason for taking a position. An interest may often go unstated but it is real. There is at least one interest behind every position. Sometimes two sides may have positions which appear totally opposed but the interests underneath may have similarities, or even share common ground. A conflict may be irresolvable as long as the debate focuses only on the positions, without examining each side’s interests. Positions separate the sides whereas interests hold the possibility of bringing them together. However, the different participants, on all sides, to a violent conflict may hold many different positions - and this is partly what makes violent conflicts so difficult to unravel.
Examples of positions
Example of interests
Integrity Spiritual needs
Positions What people say
they want
Interest Why people want what
they say they want
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• Statements • Charges • The blame • Discussions and debates • The promise of revenge • Threats • Requirements
• Be authentic • Expressing creativity • Having a sense of his life • Having a good self-esteem
• Beauty • Harmony • Inspiration • Order • Peace
Physical needs • Air • Food • Movement, exercise • Protection against threats: disease attacks • Rest • Sexual Expression • Water
Interdependence • Being accepted • Being appreciated • Being intimate • Being part of a community • To be recognized, respected and well regarded • Feeling emotional security • Receiving empathy and compassion • Being supported
B. The Conflict Cassava What is it? The “conflict cassava” is graphical tool, using the image of a cassava plant to identify the key issues of a conflict. It answers the questions: ‐ What is the main issue? What are the root causes? ‐ What are the effects of that conflict? What is the most important problem for our group?
The cassava plant is among those that grow very quickly. If you want to get rid of cassava plants in a field, we should not simply cut the leaves or branches that appear on the surface. They are the outward signs (symptoms) or official statements - i.e. the POSITIONS hiding the underlying causes of the health of the plant (roots, cassava tubers) that lie beneath the ground. These are INTERESTS or REQUESTS. The real needs that motivate people to act are looking in depth at the answers to their substantial interests (such as land, water, money), psychological (the right to respect, fairness, trust) or procedural (right to be consulted, to participate in decision-making, etc.).
What Is Its Purpose? - To stimulate a discussion on the causes and effects of conflict - To help a group to agree on the deeper problem - To help a group or team to make decisions on the priorities to be addressed in problems - To link the cause and effect between them When Should We Use It? This tool can be used either in an individual exercise or with groups. It is especially useful with opposing groups: each one does a separate analysis and then the results from each group is compared and discussed. Depending on the level of tension between the two groups, this can be done either over the course of one single session, or over different working sessions, one with each group.
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PART 3: REPORTING INCIDENTS TO THE SAFE PROGRAM
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CULTURAL SENSITIVITY & PERCEPTIONS Perception is what is used by humans to make sense of the world by in which they’re
surrounded. Indeed, we’re constantly overwhelmed by external stimuli. In order to give sense to all this information, our brain has to make interpretations out of it. This is what we call perceptions. Perceptions are based on our past experiences, our cultures, our values, our interests. This explains why, facing the same situation, two persons may have very different perceptions of what is happening. For example:
A: A policeman walking in the street: • May be perceived as a source of security in a country where the police body is
efficient: indeed, people there are used to policemen who contribute to calming down the tensions and resolving chaotic situations
• May be perceived as a source of insecurity in a country where the police body is corrupt and nonfunctional: indeed, people there are used to seeing or experiencing looting and steeling by police officials
B: Mini-skirts
• Is perceived as a sign of modernity in some cultures where television and cinema are valorized
• Is perceived as a sign of vulgarity and lack of respect in other cultures, because wearing such type of clothes is associated with other behaviors such as sex volatility or individualism
These perceptions are neither right nor wrong, they just are and we have to be aware that they exist and that they are influenced by our cultures, values, past experiences and our current needs. Perceptions may make it difficult for us to understand what another person think or perceives. It might also limit our options to act. In order to understand and analyze a conflict, it is important to be able to stand in the shoes of all of those who are involved in the conflict in order to understand their perception of the world and of this conflict. EXERCISE 3: Cultural Sensitivity: The Old / Young Lady Game
• What do you see? • What are the various elements of the lady’s face: her ears, eyes, chin, nose, etc?
Give more information about perception (see the above information on perceptions).
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Follow up questions: o What are the risks of perceptions that influence their work as conflict
monitors? o What strategy they can propose to avoid bias in their reporting?
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REPORTING INCIDENCES OF CONFLICT TO SAFE
A. What to Report On Scale of conflicts Human beings are faced with conflict on a daily basis! Conflicts are natural, normal and inherent to the human nature. We are permanently in conflict one against the other when we try to have a promotion in our office, when experiencing family life, in our love stories. Life is about conflict, and it is normal! However, SAFE is not interested to collect information on any type of conflicts, such as a fight between a husband and wife over the purchase of a new television; or such as a conflict between two neighbors over the cleaning of the alley. Thinking back about the objectives of the SAFE Program and the monthly conflict assessment, we want to filter the information that we’re gathering and focus on the incidents that: • Have medium or large scale potential for violence • Are already violent
These criteria will be refined over time, as we go over this first test period. Your feedback and experience will be helpful to either keep those criteria or to have them evolve to new ones that are better suited to the field reality. Types of Conflicts. Although the examples below are not exhaustive, they help guide you in reporting. Do not worry about the category; just report the incident that has occurred. It is the work of SAFE staff to categorize all the incidents that you report Conflict Category Examples of incidents
Governance Related Conflicts
• Unequal resource distribution • Infringement on civil and political liberties • Worker’s rights • Riots and strikes • Corruption • Grievance over service delivery • Police brutality • Forced arrests and disappearance • Detention without trial/bail • General Human Rights violations
Land Conflicts
• Land transactions • Compensation • Forced eviction • Land inheritance • Land access and use
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• Border/boundary disputes • Land ownership disputes • Illegal encroachment • Property and crop destruction
Politically Related Conflicts • Inter and intra party disagreements • Electoral malpractices (bribery, violence,
intimidation, denial of equal space for all political contestants, disenfranchisement)
• Unequal political space for politicians Economic distress and poverty • Inflation/rising costs of living
• Poor living conditions • Unemployment • Poor labor conditions
Spill over conflicts • Refugees influx • Internally displaced persons influx
Environmental issues • Environmental pollution (e.g. air quality, water, land)
• Uncontrolled migration of wild animals • Livestock movement in search of water and
pasture • Mining and exploration activities
Identity Based Conflicts • Religious conflicts • Ethnic conflicts • Conflicts related to sexual orientation
Other Kinds of Conflicts • Human trafficking • Sexual and Gender based violence • Child sacrifice
B. When to Report Before you report any conflict incident to the SAFE Program: 1. Cross-check the information you have for accuracy and detail
Cross checking information involves verification from a minimum of three other sources. Below are a few tips to help you in verifying information: • Check if the incident has been reported in the local media in your community • Establish whether a good number of people in your community are talking
about the same incident, and find out more details from those that might be talking it
• Ask your family members if they have heard about the same incident. Since your family already knows your role as a Conflict Monitor, they will be very
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helpful to establish the right information before you can report it to the SAFE Program
• Ask at your workplace if they have heard of the incident, and whether they have more information. Your workmates will be very helpful because they know your role as a volunteer Conflict Monitor
• In areas where other organizations are already collecting conflict related information, such as in Karamoja, where CEWERU is doing similar work, find out from their Field Monitors if they have information related to the incident.
• Check with the SAFE Program grantees and Mobile Coordinators. SAFE will be able to share with you contact details of their grantees and Mobile Coordinators in the area in which you are reporting conflict from.
• Find out from other CSOs and agencies in your community. • Check with your local leaders. These could be among others:
o Your Local Council leaders o The district leadership o Religious leaders o Respected and credible people in your community
Verifying and reporting accurate information does not only help the SAFE Program design appropriate interventions, but increases a Conflict Monitor’s credibility with the SAFE Program and with their community. This leads to building of trust.
2. Go over the “Reporting Incident Preparatory Sheet” (see incident sheet on next page) and try to gather information relative to most of the questions about the incident
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REPORTING INCIDENTS: PREPARATORY SHEET BEFORE SENDING
INFORMATION TO SAFE Dear Conflict Monitor/CCR, before you send the information about an incident to the SAFE program, go over this information sheet and try to answer to the various questions stated below. You may report an incident even if you don’t have the exact answer to all of these question, but be prepared to receive a phone call from SAFE asking for more details on the below topics once you’ve reported an incident to SAFE
Have you cross-checked this information?
Yes If you’ve not crossed-checked the information, kindly do so before reporting the incident to SAFE No
What type of conflict incident is this? List village, Sub County and District
When did the incident take place?
What exactly happened What was the scale of the incident?
………………………………………………………. Local Cross-region
Cross-district Cross-boundary
Who are the actors of the conflict? ………………………………………………. ……………………………………………… ………………………………………………
against ……………………………………..……… …………………………………………….. ………………………………………………
Any immediate impact?
How many people are affected (please provide any figures) Property destroyed Property stolen Injury Death Abduction People Abducted People Migrated Other (Specify)
Has anyone/institution responded?
Yes No
If Yes, who?
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What was the response? (please describe the response)
Did the response calm dawn the situation?
Yes, for good Yes, temporarily No No, it even made things worse If Made things worse, why?……………………………………………
What is the likely consequence of this incident within 2-3 years
Increase of ethnic rivalry Increase of land scarcity Loss of confidence in state institutions Desire for revenge Displacement Other (specify)……………………………………………
What is the probability of immediate or continued violence
1. Very High
2. High
3. Medium
4. Low
5. Don’t Know
END
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C. How to Report SAFE opened a phone hotline with Yo! Uganda for the sole purpose of making the communication between the Conflict Monitors and SAFE easy. Phone is therefore our favorite way of communication in the framework of this Program. You may either choose to:
• Initiate the Conversation with the SMS toll free. Even though your conversation with the SMS toll free line is interactive, it will not start until you intiate the first text message and then send it to the toll free line. For example, you can start the conversation by sending ‘conflict incident’ to the toll free line, after which the system will start a back and forth chat with you until it has finished asking you all the questions on the incident reporting template.
• To call us directly. Make sure to call us during the SAFE office working hours.
The Conflict monitoring phone is located in our offices in Kampala, and our staff will be the one in charge of taking your calls or reading your SMS. No one at SAFE or anywhere will have access to your SMS. You may therefore send text messages at any time of the day, and they will be read during working hours. As far as phone calls go, we advise that you call us during the week-days and working hours.
SAFE Program Office:
Plot 9, Yusuf Lule Road, 2nd Floor (Next to United Nations Office)
P. O. Box 75130, Kampala (U)
Tel: +256414531206
Working days and hours: Monday – Friday (except public holidays), 8:00 am to 5.00 pm
Toll Free SMS Hotline Phone Numbers for reporting conflict incidents
For MTN Users: 0800208700
For UTL Users: 0800108700
Once you send us a text message, be prepared (in some cases) to receive a phone call from SAFE in order to have more details about the incident you reported on. SAFE’s ability to contact you back will vary depending on whether or not you answered all the questions on the incident reporting template.
KEY ELEMENTS/ PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICT REPORTING Even though as a Conflict Monitor, you are working on a voluntary basis and are tied to a professional code of ethics – as journalists or human rights defenders do – there are some key concepts that you need to understand and agree to apply in order to enter SAFE’s Conflict Monitor. Key principles that SAFE will request that you respect are: accuracy, impartiality, honesty, decency and confidentiality.
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Accuracy Why would you want to be accurate when reporting to SAFE? Because “accuracy is the Conflict Monitor’s ultimate weapon.” The advocate’s “ability to influence governments and public opinion is based on the accuracy of the information provided by Conflict Monitors,” The risk of inaccurate information may trump any advantages gained through crowdsourcing (Codesria & Amnesty International, 2000, p. 32). What are the main risks conductive to a lack of accuracy?
• When speed takes priority over the urge to get your report right • When you’re not cross checking the information received • You may tend to over-report certain incident to bias data collection
Tips to be send accurate reports: • We advise that you apply the “two source rule”: that means that every fact must be
confirmed by two independent sources before it can be taken as reliable and reported to SAFE.
• Good observation, good listening, and above all, talking to the right people, are main sources to find reliable information.
• Best monitors are only as good as their personal contacts. So you must learn how to cultivate them and how to evaluate the information offered.
• Monitors need to take extensive notes to be sure the report is as precise as possible.
• Accuracy requires meticulous attention to detail, as one small, superficial error undermines the reliability of a whole report. This means checking and double-checking facts whenever possible
• Getting the story straight may mean calling sources back to make sure what they said is portrayed correctly, especially if another source is disputing it. This is called fact checking. Sometimes it may mean delaying the report to avoid mistakes if there is any doubt. Getting it wrong can affect future credibility
Impartiality Why would you want to be impartial when reporting to SAFE? Because by covering only one side of the story, you may lose the trust from the local communities for which you are reporting. You may accentuate local tensions and divisions, and appear to be on one side of the conflict. This would represent a major constraint on the flow of information between you and the various local actors, hence jeopardizing your work as a SAFE monitor. It will also have a negative impact to designing an appropriate response by either the SAFE Program or other implementing partners What are the main risks conducive to partiality?
• Inability to resist to your own community’s pressure when reporting on an incident
• Desire to influence the governmental and non-governmental action towards your community, your village, your ethnic group
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• Bad communication with your community, colleagues and friends on your exact role as a SAFE monitor and the benefits of this monitoring for the entire population
• Lack of awareness of your own perspective, background, and risks of bias when reporting
Tips to being impartial when monitoring: • Avoid explaining too largely what your task is as a Conflict Monitor: you may raise
expectations that would cause some people to try to influence you. However, you don’t want to lie to your family or colleagues, so make sure you have an explanation ready in case they hear about your new role and ask you what this is about. Make sure to explain to them the reasons why you decided to be part of this Program, and why you believe it is a good opportunity for your community.
• A Conflict Monitor should always be conscious of his or her own perspective and strive to understand all side’s perceptions when reporting an incident
• Before reporting on an incident, ask yourself: did I really take the time to check both sides of the conflict parties?
• Remember that if you report abusively on fake incidents or exclusively on incidents against your community, you will lose credibility both in the eyes of the other communities and with SAFE. Indeed, we always cross-check the information that you’re sending with other sources and we are therefore most likely to detect abusive or partial reports
Honesty and decency Why should you be honest and decent? As well as accuracy and impartiality, most journalist codes stress honesty and decency in data-gathering. This is also applicable to conflict monitoring. Risks: Driven by a desire of accuracy and of professionalism, you may want to gather information at all costs. Tips:
• Monitors should avoid undue intrusion where people have suffered trauma and shock and should respect a person’s right to privacy.
• Children and victims of sexual crimes must be treated with care, and SAFE requires that they not be named or photographed.
• When facing an ethical dilemma, always ask: o Is there another way to get the same information? o Can you explain in good conscience your decisions to those affected? o If a similar situation occurs, would you handle it in the same way? o How would you feel if you were the subject, rather than the Monitor, in
this incident? o Have you done everything you can to be accurate and fair? o Have you tried to find all the significant aspects of a story? o Are the decisions free from outside and especially personal influences?
• Remember that SAFE is neither an intelligence agency, nor a human rights defender group. Our purpose is to collect data that will inform the general context of conflict in your district and in Uganda at large. We will never ever ask you to break the law in order to collect data.
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Confidentiality Why would you want to respect the confidentiality principle? For two reasons: the first and most important one is that by not respecting this principle, you may be putting your sources and / or yourself at risk of reprisal. The second reason is more pragmatic: a Conflict Monitor who promises to keep a source anonymous but then subsequently reveals the name will find it very hard to be trusted by sources in future. Risks: • Your desire to “have the truth come out” or to be an efficient reporter may lead
you to bypass the confidentiality principle • Unexpected leaks of information may come as a result of a gap in your safety
measures (i.e. forgetting your notebook in a public space). Tips: • Remember that SAFE is neither an intelligence agency, nor a human rights advocacy
or defender group. Our purpose is to collect data that will inform the general context of conflict mitigation response in your district and in Uganda at large. We will never ever ask you to put yourself or anyone at risk to gather information.
• Some incidents are largely known by the public, because of their public nature (i.e.: a demonstration, a strike, looting of a village, etc.). You may report on them without bothering about the confidentiality principles. However, it may happen that someone come and talk to you face to provide information about an incident that s/he witnessed. Before using this data, you must always ask clearly whether s/he agrees that a) you mention this incident at all (i.e. to other local leaders as a way to cross-check the information; to SAFE’s network); and b) that you reveal his or her name as the source of information. Should s/he refuse, consider it as your moral obligation to respect his/her desire for confidentiality.
• Make sure you take a couple of safety measures to ensure your source’s confidentiality (see module on security)
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SAFETY MEASURES WHEN COLLECTING INFORMATION AND REPORTING
Introduction Monitoring conflicts may represent a risk for those involved in the process, even though SAFE will never ask the program’s monitors to put themselves in dangerous situation for the purpose of the program. In a similar 16-months conflict monitoring project held in the conflict prone area of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), no monitor ever raised any security concerns. Uganda being a lot less volatile than Eastern DRC, Conflict Monitors here should not face security concerns either. However, when it comes to conflict and violence, it is impossible to predict the evolution of some tense situations with 100% certainty. It is therefore important that Conflict Monitors be aware of SAFE’s inability to bear responsibility for adverse effects of their monitoring efforts. For that reason, this monitoring activity should be conducted on a voluntary mode, and SAFE will easily understand the desire of any monitor to resign from his or her role at any point in time. To reduce potential risk of the monitoring activity, the following explanations on SAFE’s expectations are provided, as well as some tips and advice to ensure a safe reporting environment for the SAFE’s Conflict Monitors. In any case, Monitors should never hesitate to contact SAFE’s staff on 0414 531 206 or 0414 531 990 to share their experience regarding security concerns or to provide advice and lessons learned in order to improve the system’s safety measures.
Key Concepts: Risk, Threats, Vulnerability, Capacities This section2 seeks to explain the following key concepts: risk, threats, vulnerability and capacity in terms of security. It is impossible to have an effective security and protection strategy in the absence of an adequate understanding of these concepts.
• Risk refers to the possibility of events, however uncertain, that will result in harm. In order to develop and implement protection strategies monitors must analyze what levels of risk they face.
• Threats are indications that someone will harm somebody else's physical or moral integrity or property through purposeful and often violent action.
• Vulnerability refers to the factors that can make it more likely that a Monitor or a group will suffer an attack or will suffer greater harm as a result of an attack.
• Capacities are the strengths and resources a group or a monitor can access to improve their security
Risk: The level of risk facing a group of monitors increases in accordance with threats that have been received and their vulnerability to those threats, as presented in this equation:
2 largely inspired by “Frontline Protection Handbook for Human Rights Defenders” and Eguren Enrique, “Protection manual for Human Rights Defenders”, Front line, 2005
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The risk created by threats and vulnerabilities can be reduced if monitors have enough capacities (the more capacities, the lesser the risk).
In summary, in order to reduce risk to acceptable levels – namely, to protect – you must:
• Reduce threats (where possible); • Reduce vulnerability factors; • Increase protection capacities.
Generally speaking monitors can have more immediate impact on their own capacities and vulnerabilities whilst reducing threats might need to be a more long-term strategy.
Vulnerability and Capacity Vulnerability depends on circumstances. Some factors that increase or reduce vulnerability include access or lack of access to:
• Effective and secure means of communication • Safe ground transportation • Proper locks or other security for a house or office • Capacities and vulnerabilities are two sides of the same coin. For example, not
knowing enough about your work environment is vulnerability, while having this knowledge is a capacity.
NB: Vulnerabilities and capacities, as well as some threats, may vary according to gender, age or other factors.
Threats Threats or exposure to threats can be reduced by:
• Increasing the political cost of carrying out such threats, for example, through publicizing the threat extensively
• Increasing the perception that an attacker might be caught and punished • Increasing the perception that the political cost of acting openly against you far
outweighs the benefit • Developing, in appropriate cases, contacts with the authorities, police, army etc.
Communication and Security3 You’ve been selected as a SAFE Conflict Monitor because of your large network and representativeness at the local leader. Communication is therefore a key element of
3 From: Eguren Enrique, “Protection manual for Human Rights Defenders”, Front line, 2005
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your daily work, as well as of your SAFE monitor task. The below communications security considerations might not all be applicable to your SAFE monitoring tasks, but they could be useful for your daily work. When Talking: Information doesn’t need to pass through the internet to be illegally accessed. When discussing sensitive issues, consider the following questions:
• Do you trust the people you are talking to? • Do they need to know the information you are giving them? • Are you in a safe environment?
When using mobile phones: • All phone calls can be listened into if the listener has enough technological
capacity. No phone call can be assumed to be secure. Analogue mobile phones are much less secure than digital mobile phones, and both are much less secure than landlines.
• Both your location and your conversations can be picked up through cellular surveillance. You don’t have to be talking for your location to be tracked – this can be done anytime your mobile phone is switched on.
• Do not keep information such as sensitive names and numbers in your phone’s memory. If your phone is stolen, this information can be used to track down and implicate people you want to protect.
When keeping confidential information in the office • Keep the office locked at all times, including doors and windows. • If possible, use keys that require specific authorization to be copied and keep
track of all copies. Do NOT give keys to third parties, even maintenance and cleaning staff, and make sure you or someone you trust is always present when third parties are in the office.
• If this is not possible, make sure you have a room with limited access where vulnerable files are kept. Consider locking all office doors and leaving non-confidential waste outside in the hallway at night.
• Use a cross-cut shredder for anything confidential. Strip shredders are mostly useless. For disposing of particularly confidential material, consider burning the shredding, pulverizing the ashes
When using the computer • Lock computers away when leaving the office, if possible. Turn computer screens
away from the windows. • Use surge protectors for all power outlets (variations in the electrical current
can damage your computer). • Keep back-up information, including paper files, in a secure, separate location. • To reduce the risk of someone accessing your computer, passphrase-protect
your computer and always shut off your computer when you leave it. • If possible, you may want to consider encrypting your files in case someone does
access your computer or bypasses your passphrase protection.
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When using the Internet • Your email does not fly directly from your computer to the intended recipient’s
computer. It goes through several nodes and leaves behind information as it passes. It can be accessed all along the path (not only in/from your country!)
• Someone could be looking over your shoulder as you type. This is especially problematic in internet cafes.
• Your internet service provider (ISP) has access to your emails, and anyone with influence over your ISP may be able to pressure it into forwarding them copies of all your emails or to stop certain emails from getting through.
• As they pass through the internet, your emails flow through hundreds of insecure third-parties. Hackers can access email messages as they pass. The ISP of your intended recipient may also be vulnerable, along with the network and office of your intended recipient.
Some Extra Key Questions to Consider • HAVING COHERENT AND ACCEPTABLE EXPLANATION ABOUT YOUR
WORK AND AIMS: Do you have a clear, sustainable and coherent explanation of your work and objectives? Is this explanation acceptable, or at least tolerated, by most/all stakeholders (specially armed ones)? Are all members of the group able to provide this explanation when requested?
• DEFENDERS’ ACTIVITIES AFFECTING A CONFLICT PARTY: Does your work directly affect an actor’s interests? (For example, when protecting valuable natural resources, the right to land, or similar potential targets for powerful actors).
• LINKS TO CONFLICT PARTIES: Do you have links with conflict parties (relatives, from the same area, same interests) that could lead to unfair or partial reporting?
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COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN MONTHLY CONFLICT ASSESSMENTS A strong and sustainable monthly conflict assessment program is built on community involvement and drive. You need the support of the local community and the local leadership to pull together and make every step of the Monthly Conflict Assessment a success. Because this is a test phase of the Program that requires constant adjustment and improvements, you need feedback from the community. Feedback is possible if people feel involved. The primary statement of community involvement in the monthly conflict assessment is that every individual is valued. Every input given by anyone counts in improving your work. It is the role of the Conflict Monitor to create and sustain a culture of community involvement in this learning process, and while conflict monitoring and reporting can be an exciting experience for those involved, (some of) the community members and/or leadership in the community can sabotage it once they do not feel involved. This is a likely challenge that Conflict Monitors should watch out for, and try to mitigate. Conflict Monitors require two types of involvement by the community
A. Local Community Involvement Why involve The Community? i. To promote ownership and sustainability ii. To foster a clear understanding of the goals and purpose of the monthly conflict
assessment iii. ___________________________________________________________ iv. ___________________________________________________________ v. ___________________________________________________________ vi. ___________________________________________________________ vii. ___________________________________________________________ viii. ___________________________________________________________ ix. ___________________________________________________________ x. ___________________________________________________________ xi. ___________________________________________________________ xii. ___________________________________________________________
Tips on How to Involve the Community
i. Consult them at all stages ii. Talk about the monthly conflict assessments in all forums, if given a chance iii. ___________________________________________________________ iv. ___________________________________________________________ v. ___________________________________________________________ vi. ___________________________________________________________ vii. ___________________________________________________________ viii. ___________________________________________________________ ix. ___________________________________________________________ x. ___________________________________________________________ xi. ___________________________________________________________ xii. ________________________________________________________
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B. Local Government (and leaders’) Involvement in Monthly Conflict Assessments
Why involve the local government and community leaders? i. To foster a clear understanding of the goals and purpose of the monthly conflict
assessment ii. To gain acceptance and support of the leaders iii. ___________________________________________________________ iv. ___________________________________________________________ v. ___________________________________________________________ vi. ___________________________________________________________ vii. ___________________________________________________________ viii. ___________________________________________________________ ix. ___________________________________________________________ x. ___________________________________________________________ xi. ___________________________________________________________ xii. ___________________________________________________________ xiii. ___________________________________________________________ Tips on how to involve them:
i. If you plan to organize any event in your community, seek guidance and help from them
ii. Consult them always, and discuss any challenges you have in monitoring and reporting
iii. Keep them updated on the progress of the monthly conflict assessment, including any reports that you may receive from the SAFE Program
iv. Pay courtesy call to their office, and brief them on what is happening v. ___________________________________________________________ vi. ___________________________________________________________ vii. ___________________________________________________________ viii. ___________________________________________________________ ix. ___________________________________________________________ x. ___________________________________________________________ xi. ___________________________________________________________ xii. ___________________________________________________________ xiii. ___________________________________________________________ xiv. ___________________________________________________________
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ACTION PLANS FOR SUCCESSFUL MONTHLY CONFLICT ASSESSMENTS
1. District Action Plans A. For Conflict Monitors (by District): What are you going to do in your district to
make sure the monthly conflict assessment is successful? Name of District__________________________________________
i. ___________________________________________________________ ii. ___________________________________________________________ iii. ___________________________________________________________ iv. ___________________________________________________________ v. ___________________________________________________________ vi. ___________________________________________________________ vii. ___________________________________________________________ viii. ___________________________________________________________ ix. ___________________________________________________________
B. For Local Government Leaders (By District). What are you going to do in your
district to make sure the monthly conflict assessment is successful? Name of District________________________________________________
i. ___________________________________________________________ ii. ___________________________________________________________ iii. ___________________________________________________________ iv. ___________________________________________________________ v. ___________________________________________________________ vi. ___________________________________________________________ vii. ___________________________________________________________ viii. ___________________________________________________________ ix. ___________________________________________________________
C. Joint Action Points by Local Government leaders and the Conflict Monitors (By
District). What are you going to do jointly to ensure that the monthly conflict assessment is successful in your district?
Name of District______________________________________ i. ___________________________________________________________ ii. ___________________________________________________________ iii. ___________________________________________________________ iv. ___________________________________________________________ v. ___________________________________________________________ vi. ___________________________________________________________ vii. ___________________________________________________________ viii. ___________________________________________________________ ix. ___________________________________________________________
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2. Sub County Joint Action Plans What are you (Conflict Monitor and your leader) going to do together in your Sub County to make the monthly conflict assessments successful?
Name of Sub County__________________________________________
i. ___________________________________________________________ ii. ___________________________________________________________ iii. ___________________________________________________________ iv. ___________________________________________________________ v. ___________________________________________________________ vi. ___________________________________________________________ vii. ___________________________________________________________ viii. ___________________________________________________________ ix. ___________________________________________________________ x. ___________________________________________________________ xi. ___________________________________________________________ xii. ___________________________________________________________ xiii. ___________________________________________________________
RESIGNING YOUR ROLE AS A COMMUNITY CONFLICT REPORTER Because there are hundreds of CCRs, there is no formal procedure for resigning your voluntary role. If you no longer want to report conflict incidents, simply stop reporting. AS A CONFLICT MONITOR For one reason or another, a Conflict Monitor may decide not to continue volunteering for the SAFE Program. Resignation of a Conflict Monitor may negatively affect the program in their sub region if not managed in an effective manner. SAFE would expect the Conflict Monitor resigning to give at least one week notification either verbally through phone or in writing to allow smooth transition. While SAFE would appreciate knowing the reason for resignation, a volunteer is not required to mention or write it unless they wish so. SAFE would like a resigning Monitor to work with another person that SAFE would nominate for a successful transition: giving updates on ongoing conflicts being monitored; introducing the new person to the networks and relevant sources of information; and introducing the new person to the challenges of monitoring and reporting incidents of conflict. On compliance with this process, SAFE will write a certificate of service for the volunteer indicating the full name, period s/he worked for the SAFE program, and the roles performed. Local leaders, members of the CSO and other stakeholders will all being notified. Prior to your departure, SAFE Program encourages all Conflict Monitors to fill in the exit interview form. Information gathered through the exit interview helps the safe Program understand what it needs to do to improve on to support Conflict Monitors and CCRs, and improve on the quality of the conflict monitoring Program. Refer to Annex 1 for a sample Conflict Monitor exit interview form.
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SOURCES AND FURTHER READINGS • “Frontline Protection Handbook for Human Rights Defenders”, 2007
http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/files/en/Front%20Line%20Protection%20Handbook.pdf
• Mancini, “New Technology and the Prevention of Violence and Conflict », International Peace Institute, April 2013 http://www.ipinst.org/media/pdf/publications/ipi_epub_new_technology_final.pdf
• Van der Windt & Machartan, « Voix des Kivus : Reflections on a Crowdseeding Approach to Conflict Event Data Gathering”, Feb 2012, http://cu-csds.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Voix-des-Kivus-UBC.pdf
• Burton Charline & Holmquist Charles, « Vers une programmation sensible aux conflits », SFCG, Nov 2012, http://sfcg.org/programmes/drcongo/pdf/SFCG%20-%20Module%20de%20Formation-%20Sensibilite%20aux%20conflits.pdf
• Burton Charline & Amal Obonyo Juliana, « SAFE Program Monthly Conflict Assessment methodology», April 2013
• http://www.irevolution.net • Eguren Enrique, “Protection manual for Human Rights Defenders”, Front line,
2005 • USAID SAFE Conflict Assessment Report, April 2013
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ANNEX 1: CONFLICT MONITOR EXIT INTERVIEW FORM To be filled by the Conflict Monitor before departure Name: ______________________________ Sex: _____________ District for which you were reporting: ___________________ Sub-County_________________ Parish: __________________ Village: ________________ Date you started reporting for the SAFE Program: _____________Date that you plan to exit_____
S/N Question Response 1. What is your reason for
leaving?
2. Have you shared your concerns with someone at SAFE Before? What was the response?
3. Have you already identified your replacement?
Yes (Indicate name and contact details) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ No
4. What do you value most about the Conflict Monitoring Program?
5. What do you dislike about the Conflict Monitoring Program?
6. What did you like most about your role as a volunteer Conflict Monitor?
7. What did you not like about being a Conflict Monitor?
8. What are the key challenges that you made your work as a Conflict Monitor difficult? (list)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. How can the challenges you have identified above be addressed?
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10. Do you feel you had the necessary resources and support necessary to accomplish your role?
Yes No (indicate the resources/support that was missing) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Please share with us contact details of individuals and institutions that were helpful in availing or verifying information in your community
Name of institution/individual Contact telephone/e-mail
12. Would you recommend others to volunteer for the SAFE program? YES/NO
Yes (why?) No (why?)
13. What new skill did you learn from being part of the SAFE conflict monitoring Program?
14. Would you wish to come back to volunteer as a Conflict Monitor for the SAFE Program?
15. Do you have any additional comments or concerns that you would like to bring to the attention of the SAFE Program?
Signature: __________________________ Date: __________________________
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ANNEX 2: CONFLICT MONITOR INFORMATION SUMMARY SHEET Thank you for volunteering to be one of USAID-SAFE Conflict Monitors.
Please fill in the form below to enable us store information about you, and get to know you better.
Disclaimer By signing this information summary sheet, you willingly accept to volunteer as USAID SAFE Conflict Monitor. Your role is voluntary, and attracts no salary or pay.
1. First Name _________________ Surname: ___________________
Other Name: _________________________
Gender: Male Female
Date of Birth (DD/MM/YY): ____________________Marital Status: _________
Next of Kin: Name__________________________________Relationship_________________
Contact Information: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Level of Education: __________________________________________________________
3. Mobile phone contact: _____________________________________________________
4. Alternative mobile contact: _______________________________________________
5. Physical address:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________________
6. E-mail address: ___________________________________________________________
7. Alternative e-mail address: _______________________________________________
8. District:____________________________________________________________
Is this the district from which you will report conflict incidents? Yes/No (if no, name the district) _________________________________________________________________
9. Sub County: ___________________________________________________________
Is this the Sub County from which you will report conflict Incidents? Yes/No (if no, name the sub county) ___________________________________________________________
10. Parish:_____________________________________________________________
Is this the same parish from which you will report conflict incidents? Yes/No (if no, name the parish) _________________________________________________________________
11. LCI Village: ___________________________________________________________
Is this the same LCI village from which you will report conflict incidents? Yes/No (if no, name the LCI village) _______________________________________________________________________
12. Current occupation (if employed)______________________________________________
13. Work Address (include telephone and physical address): __________________________________________________________
14. Preferred method of communication. Tick what applies. E-mail/ phone/letter?
15. Please provide details of three of your referees in the chart below
SN Name of Referee Position, address and contact details In what capacity, and for how long have they known
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you 1.
2.
3.
Signature________________________________Date_____________________
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ANNEX 3: CONFLICT MONITORS MONTHLY IDEA SHEET Dear Conflict Monitor, to improve the conflict monitoring experience, we encourage you to come up with a monthly idea that you feel can improve conflict monitoring in your community. Your idea should be inspired by the experience you have had so far, and should be relevant for your community.
Describe Your Idea Here Why do you think this idea will improve conflict monitoring
What are the likely challenges with this idea?
Month 1
Month 2
Month 3
Month 4
Month 5
Month 6
